Numerous prior art arrangements are known for automatically providing feed for animals, including pets, without attendance of a human being. Such devices have been developed to accomplish specific objectives and in some instances have been adapted to provide both food and water.
In general, all prior art devices have been designed to provide for the regular emission of granular foods to a feeding area. In some instances the food is provided at a regular, rather slow, rate and in other instances the food has been provided in preselected quantities at regular intervals.
In most prior art arrangements where the food is provided at intervals provision is made for the adjustment of the quantity of food provided in each feeding cycle and the frequency at which the food is provided.
In systems where the food is provided continuously the prior art has provided for adjustment of the rate of emission of the food. The prior art devices have in general provided only for supplying dry granular food and not moist or semi-moist food.
In general, moist and semi-moist pet food cannot be exposed to the atmosphere for even short periods of time because the loss of moisture which occurs rapidly degrades the food and makes it unusable. Further, the food cannot even be used in the prior art feeding devices since the consistency of the food precludes free fall through the feeding mechanisms as with dry granular foods.
Many animals, particularly older animals with bad teeth and animals with particular disabilities require moist and semi-moist food. Owners of such pets cannot use other available automatic feeding devices and must in some cases make cumbersome, usually unsatisfactory, and sometimes expensive arrangements for feeding their pets when they are away from home, even for short periods of time.
The problems associated with feeding moist and semi-moist food is particularly aggravated with animals with feeding disorders such as bolemia.
No prior art arrangement is known which allows regular feeding of moist nongranular animal food at selected intervals.